Process control systems, like those used in chemical, petroleum or other processes, typically include one or more centralized process controllers communicatively coupled to at least one host or operator workstation and to one or more field devices via analog, digital or combined analog/digital buses. The field devices, which may be, for example, valves, valve positioners, switches and transmitters (e.g., temperature, pressure and flow rate sensors), perform functions within the process such as opening or closing valves and measuring process parameters. The process controller receives signals indicative of process measurements made by the field devices and/or other information pertaining to the field devices, uses this information to implement a control routine and then generates control signals that are sent over the buses or other communication lines to the field devices to control the operation of the process. Information from the field devices and the controllers may be made available to one or more applications executed by the operator workstation to enable an operator to perform desired functions with respect to the process, such as viewing the current state of the process, modifying the operation of the process, etc.
Process control systems are typically configured using configuration applications that enable a system engineer, operator, user, etc. to define how each field device within a process control system should function for a particular process (e.g., a particular chemical production process). When a field device is added to a particular process or each time a change is made to the process, an engineer may generate a new control program or new configuration data or may update or modify an existing control program. Each process may use a large number of field devices, controllers, and/or other control devices and, thus, a control program may include large amount of configuration data. Some known process control systems provide integrated editors that enable users to create and/or update control programs. However, these known programs typically display data in a manner that does not reveal how process control data associated with one field device relates to the process control data of another field device. Furthermore, the underlying database infrastructure does not show the set of relationships between the control system, the process, material flows and compositions, equipment, devices, and the operational displays that are used to operate, maintain, and diagnose the overall system. In other words, these known editors typically show process control data without revealing its relationship to the overall system. As used herein, the term “process control data” includes the control system, the process material flows and compositions, equipment, devices, and the operational displays that are used to operate, maintain, and diagnose the overall system. Further, creating or updating control programs using known editors is often cumbersome because it is difficult for an engineer or other user to keep a system diagram in view or in the user's memory while working with the relatively abstract view provided by the editor interface. As a result, the engineer or other user often needs a detailed printout of each portion of the process control system and then refers to the multiple printouts when using the editor.
Known editors also typically require a user to utilize an on-site workstation. An engineer may often desire to create or update a control program while remotely situated from an on-site process control system workstation. However, creating or updating a control program while remotely situated from the process control system often requires a full installation of a process control system application on a portable or remotely located computer. However, the number of full application installations is usually limited to the number of available software licenses, mobile computing power, and/or budget constraints. Even when the full application does not have to be installed, the relationship between the data, equipment, devices, processes, materials, and displays is not available.
As newer, improved process control system applications become available, companies may upgrade their older process control system applications. Upgrading or migrating to different process control system applications is often tedious because of incompatibilities between older process control system applications and newer process control system applications or incompatibilities among process control system applications provided by different vendors. For example, data formats may differ between different process control system applications. As a result, migrating existing process control data often requires engineers to migrate the data manually or to develop custom scripts or programs that can convert prior custom data to data that is formatted suitable for use with the new process control system applications.